From sunrise cruises to expert-led tours, Kakadu Bird Week offers a front-row seat to one of the Top End’s most spectacular seasonal wildlife displays.

As spring begins to bloom across Australia, Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory becomes the stage for an extraordinary natural spectacle. But we’re not talking about wildflowers here. We’re talking about feathers – and lots of them.

Running from 23–27 September, Kakadu Bird Week celebrates the national park’s 280+ species of birdlife, with a jam-packed program spotlighting the unique wildlife and ancient cultures that call this special place home.

A pocket guide to the birds of Kakadu

Home to roughly one-third of all bird species in Australia, Kakadu National Park is a birdwatcher’s paradise – especially in September.

As the dry season nears its end, shrinking water levels across the landscape force thousands of waterbirds to crowd the remaining billabongs. Paired with the annual mass migration of magpie geese, it results in an incredible congregation of birdlife all in one place.

To celebrate the occasion, Kakadu Bird Week invites both amateur birdwatchers and seasoned twitchers alike to experience the magic up close. Over five days, visitors will witness to hundreds of bird species as they gather for the wet season ahead.

Down by the billabongs, it’s a hive of activity. Sea eagles, brolgas, herons, spoonbills, kingfishers, jabirus and jacanas can all be spotted, whether they’re paddling on the surface, feeding along the water’s edge or soaring overhead, looking for food.

But the action continues on dry ground, too. Within Kakadu’s woodlands and monsoon forests, blue-winged kookaburras, partridge pigeons, banded fruit doves and rainbow bee-eaters bring the bush to life in a flurry of colour and birdsong.

Kakadu is also home to a variety of rare endemic species found almost nowhere else on Earth. Keen twitchers may just be able to tick the hooded parrot, gouldian finch, white-throated grass-wren and sandstone shrike-thrush off their bird-spotting bucket list.

Although it’s not just feathered friends to keep an eye out for during your visit. Kakadu National Park is also teeming with an impressive variety of wildlife, just waiting to be discovered. From crocodiles and wallabies to buffalo and brumbies, you never know what you might spot between birdwatching sessions.

What’s on the program for 2026

There are plenty of ways to get amongst the action during Kakadu Bird Week this year, with an exciting program offering the ultimate Top End escape. The best part? The itinerary has practically been mapped out for you.

Throughout the week, Luke ‘Hawk Eye’ Paterson from NT Bird Specialists will lead a number of guided walks throughout the park, designed around specific species.

If you don’t know where to start, try the 3.5-kilometre Nanguluwurr walk, offering a mix of stone country, woodland and monsoon forest habitat. Along the way, species like the sandstone shrike-thrush, chestnut-quilled rock-pigeon and helmeted Friarbird can be found living amongst rock art painted over the ages.

There’s also birding tours of the Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) region, south alligator region wetlands and east alligator region monsoon forests – all led by an expert and with morning tea provided.

For truly dedicated twitchers (and experienced hikers), the five-day Kakadu birdwatching, wildlife and nature tour is the perfect chance to witness the national park’s birdlife in all its glory.

Led by expert guides, the journey spans the entirety of Bird Week and includes accommodation, meals, transport, additional experiences, permits, insurance and more.

If you can only squeeze in one event, make sure it’s a sunrise cruise on Yellow Water Billabong. Over three hours, you’ll glide through the famed waterway, watching on as hundreds of birds stir into action as daylight breaks.

Considered the program’s main highlight, this is one for serious birdwatchers – so bring your binoculars, pack your zoom lens and prepare for some seriously impressive sightings.

Beyond the birds, Kakadu is home to one of the oldest continuous living cultures on Earth, dual World Heritage-listed for both its natural and cultural values. The Bininj people and Mungguy people have lived on and cared for the land for more than 65,000 years, forging a deeply profound connection to Country.

During Kakadu Bird Week, visitors can learn more about this rich cultural history at the Bowali Visitor Centre, which will host a traditional feather-weaving workshop led by local Daluk (Bininj women). For cultural reasons, participants must be female, but men are welcome to observe.

Rounding out the program are daily bird bingo sessions, an immersive Anbangbang Billabong tour and a range of Top End wildlife encounters, plus plenty of time to strike out on your own in search of more feathered friends.

Planning your visit

Kakadu Bird Week will run from 23–27 September 2026, with a range of free and ticketed events unfolding across five days. The nearest airport is Darwin, around three hours from Kakadu by car. To reach the national park, visitors can either book a coach or hire a car and turn it into an epic NT road trip.

For those keen to stay the week, Kakadu Crocodile Hotel in Jabiru is ideally located near the Bowali Visitor Centre, while Cooinda Lodge offers luxury villas overlooking Yellow Water Billabong.